


Spare Peace

by Skye



Category: Gakuen Alice
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-11-26
Updated: 2007-11-26
Packaged: 2017-10-04 12:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skye/pseuds/Skye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Mikan just starting at Alice Academy, Hotaru is starting to feel lonely from avoiding her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spare Peace

Hotaru had worked hard to be where she was in the school. She'd followed routines, rules, and unspoken social standards in order to make it to the top. And now, she had to be tough with Mikan. It was true she'd come all this way, "_for you_," Mikan had insisted, but that didn't mean that Hotaru had any sort of obligations to her. She'd never asked Mikan to come here, after all. She'd never even given her a hint of where it was. Mikan had gone out of her way and gotten into trouble all on her own.

And what trouble it was. Later Hotaru almost laughed about it, but at the time she had to stop herself from burying her head in her hands when Mikan had gone against the top authorities, both student and teacher, in the school. It was no wonder she'd ended up as a no star. It was still a harsh punishment, but maybe Mikan would learn this way, since she didn't seem to be doing so any other way.

But Mikan seemed to retain her idiotic ideas while going through her no star duties, still finding time to pursue Hotaru at every instance that she saw her. Hotaru did her best to avoid her now janitor friend. After all, who wanted to be hugged by a girl who was now likely germ infested? But Mikan still followed her, whenever she knew where the object of her affection was.

Luckily they were both too busy to see each other much. They might have been equals in their rankless elementary school back in Mikan's hometown, but here they were as far distanced as they could possibly be. Though Hotaru had missed Mikan, she knew it was for the best. She didn't want to be dragged into the trouble that Mikan was jumping into at every opportunity, and even creating herself.

However, she did miss Mikan, even now. And when Mikan hadn't even looked her way upon passing, Hotaru felt a little of the rejection that Mikan was most certainly feeling from everyone. That little bit of emotion bothered her, and distracted during her work. It cut her productivity so much that she was almost angry upon seeing Mikan's face in the window during the sunset.

But Hotaru calmed quickly, realizing it wasn't Mikan's fault she felt this way, no more than she was responsible for Mikan's actions. Hotaru stared out the window at her friend, and then noticed, even from the distance, Mikan's downcast expression. It wasn't her over dramatic crying face, in this case, Hotaru concluded as she observed, Mikan actually seemed sad about something. Though what that was likely had nothing to do with her. Mikan was building her own life here, thankfully.

That didn't mean they had to be completely separated. Hotaru opened the window, and lead out slightly. "Mikan," she called.

"Ho-Hotaru-chan!" Mikan said, now seeming completely cheerful.

The simple-minded were easily distracted, Hotaru observed in thought. But in this case, that fact wasn't a bad thing. "Why don't you come up here," Hotaru suggested. She'd likely end up regretting this, but she still wanted to see Mikan as much as Mikan wanted to see her.

"Really?" Mikan said happily.

"Just hurry up," Hotaru said.

"I'll be right up," Mikan said, approaching the building and deciding how to scale it.

Hotaru saw right through her planing and sighed. "Idiot. You can enter the building normally."

"Oh, that's right," Mikan realized with a laugh, and then went into the entrance, running to where Hotaru's laboratory was. Upon knocking, Mikan was greeted by the door opening, her being dragged in, and then shoved in some kind of machine. "What is this?!" she demanded, and then screamed as it began to spray some kind of liquid.

Just as quickly, Mikan was mechanically pushed out of the machine. "Instant person disinfectant," Hotaru explained.

"Hotaru," Mikan began angrily.

"How am I supposed to know where you've been? Now I can allow you to touch things in here," Hotaru explained, then threw a towel at her.

"Right," Mikan easily agreed, and began wiping off some of the excess liquid, whatever it was. "Ah, Hotaru-chan, I'm so tired," she said.

"Work here isn't exactly the same as work out there," Hotaru said.

"But, you've done so well anyway! I bet you're one of the richest students here," Mikan declared.

"That's probably correct," Hotaru said.

In response, Hotaru had been expecting a lecture on how money isn't everything. But instead, Mikan collapsed in her chair, saying, "That's just like my Hotaru."

"Your Hotaru?" Hotaru repeated.

"That's right! Hotaru is property of Mikan! There isn't anyone here to contest that, is there? Some boy? A lover?"

"Of course not," Hotaru said calmly. "I have no time to waste with that kind of thing."

"No time?" Mikan said. "Not even for me?"

"For you..." Hotaru paused, considering. "I'll always make sure to have time for you."

"Hotaru!" Mikan exclaimed, suddenly energetic as she leaped up and hugged her friend.

"If I don't, I know you'll be sure to steal it away anyway," Hotaru added emotionlessly.

But Mikan didn't respond to this, except to embrace Hotaru tighter. Hotaru couldn't help but smile down at her, feeling a warmness that she'd hadn't allowed herself to experience since she'd been back in their hometown.


End file.
